It was a bit of a late start as I hurried out the door this morning. I had to finish by 6:30am so I could make it to Mass at St. Stanislaus. It was still dark, and the streets were quiet as I ran down Chapel Street, eventually passing Union Station and crossing the bridge over the tracks towards Long Wharf.
I was praying the Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary and in that meditative zone that running often brings when I headed down Hillhouse Avenue about a block from St. Mary’s. With just over a half mile to go, a cold spurt of water from a sprinkler hit my leg, which jolted me out of my zone. It was then that I noticed the streetlamp’s reflection on a puddle ahead, illuminating a deep groove in the sidewalk. Had I not seen it, I probably would have tripped, and perhaps been injured. I gave a quick prayer of thanks, but then, almost as if prompted,  I thought of an alum from the Class of 2022. Without hesitation, I prayed for her too. In that moment, the words from Pearl Jam’s Wishlist played through my mind: “I wish I was a messenger, and all the news was good.”

Today the Church celebrates a very special kind of messenger, our Holy Guardian Angels. As Catholics, we believe God’s love for us is so great that He has appointed and assigned a guardian angel to each of us, to guide and protect us throughout our lives. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “from infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading [them] to life” (CCC, n. 336). These pure spirits exist to serve God and us, though we often forget their presence. My near miss this morning reminded me vividly of the presence of a guardian angel in my life, even on my morning run.

In today’s first reading from the Book of Job, we hear about the power and wisdom of God who “is wise in heart and mighty in strength; He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea. He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations. He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning” (Job 9:4-10). How awe-inspiring it is to think that this same God has appointed a guardian angel for each of us.

For the rest of the run, and throughout the morning, I reflected on the role that my guardian angel plays in my life, protecting, guiding, and even prompting me to pray for others. I prayed to the guardian angel of a houseless person crossing the intersection, which was starting to get busy with traffic. At Mass, I prayed for the guardian angel of the man who approached the altar for Communion with tears in his eyes. And I was struck profoundly by the beautiful words of the Roman Canon: “In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty…”

Friends, we are never alone. Our guardian angels are always with us, interceding for us, leading us toward God, and protecting us from dangers we may never even notice. Today, on their feast day, let’s give thanks for their watchful care, and ask for their guidance. And let us remember that on our earthly run, God has placed one of His divine messengers at our side, as we pray with the psalmist: “in the presence of the Angels I will praise you, my God.”